“Democracy Scorecard” Tracks Lawmaker Support for Pro-Democracy Bills in 118th Congress

With 2024 congressional races in full swing, Common Cause is again tracking the positions of every Member of Congress on issues vital to the health of our democracy. For the fifth cycle in a row, Members of the House and Senate have received letters from Common Cause asking them to co-sponsor and support up to ten democracy reform bills. The letters inform Members that their voting and co-sponsorship record will be published in Common Cause’s “Democracy Scorecard,” which will be distributed to the organization’s 1.5 million members, as well as to state and national media, during the lead-up to Election Day.

“It is important that Americans know exactly where their elected representatives in Congress stand on legislative efforts to strengthen and protect our democracy, which is why we’ve been putting out the Democracy Scorecard since 2016 as a resource to help inform voters,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, President and CEO of Common Cause. “Protecting the right to vote, exposing the funders behind dark money groups, and curbing the outsized influence of big money in politics all share broad public support but remain blocked in Congress due to a lack of Republican support for these critical reforms. It is important for voters to understand who supports this legislation and who is keeping it from becoming law.”

The bills included in the Democracy Scorecard reflect a comprehensive reform agenda that public opinion research indicates has consistently high levels of support across the ideological spectrum.

“The commonsense reforms in these bills share broad public support that deserves strong bipartisan backing in Congress,” said Aaron Scherb, Common Cause Senior Director of Legislative Affairs. “Despite the gridlock on Capitol Hill, reforms similar to the bills in the Scorecard have been enacted and proven effective in red, blue, and purple states and localities. Congress would be wise to take note of this groundswell of public support for reform in the states.”

The Scorecard includes the following bills in the House and Senate:

House

• DHS appropriations amendment cutting funding for CISA Director of Election Security Initiative
• Representative Santos expulsion vote
• Freedom to Vote Act
• John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• DC Statehood
• DISCLOSE Act
• Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act or Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act (cosponsoring either bill will count)
• Protecting Our Democracy Act
• Democracy for All Amendment

Senate

• Sen. Budd amendment gutting the Administration’s voting executive order
• Sen. Hagerty amendment restricting who is included in census apportionment counts
• Sen. Schmitt amendment making it harder to prevent disinformation and misinformation
• Freedom to Vote Act
• John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• DC Statehood
• DISCLOSE Act
• Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act or Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act (supporting either one will count)
• Democracy Restoration Act or Inclusive Democracy Act (supporting either will count)
• Democracy for All Amendment

If the House and/or Senate vote on other democracy-related issues in the coming months, those votes may be included as well and Common Cause will send “key-vote” letters in advance, as we did with the above votes.

The Scorecard will not ‘rate’ candidates. Instead, it will spotlight the votes and co-sponsors of legislation that would protect our elections, elevate the voices of all Americans in politics and government, make voting more accessible, end partisan gerrymandering so that every American has a fair chance to elect representatives of their choice, and promote high ethical standards for elected and appointed officials.

Common Cause previously issued “Democracy Scorecards” in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 based on the votes and co-sponsorship of between 15-18 key democracy reform bills.

To view the letter to Senators, click here.

To view the letter to Representatives, click here.